


Beautiful Side of Somewhere

by newbatgirl



Series: Two of Us [4]
Category: Smallville
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2010-10-02
Updated: 2010-10-04
Packaged: 2017-10-12 09:06:16
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 7
Words: 15,695
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/123229
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/newbatgirl/pseuds/newbatgirl
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>"Two of Us" Universe. Set another six months after "How Soon is Now" - You'll need to read those first. Chloe and Clark are subjected to a test that neither of them can pass. Just a bit darker than the other stories in this universe so far, so be warned.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Prologue

_Metropolis...Clocktower...Early Morning...  
_  
Chloe dropped two sodium bicarbonate tablets into a glass of water and slid it across the counter to Oliver. 

“So is this the 'in sickness and in health' part?” she teased as he downed the glass, wincing at the gritty taste and carbonation.

“Perhaps we should have added 'and through the aftermath of Bart's cooking' to our wedding vows,” he said gravely. 

“None of us could have predicted that Bart would ever want to cook for you guys, let alone be this bad at it. In his defense, he meant well.” 

“I'm sure he did, and it didn't taste...bad. It just apparently wasn't meant for human or  _metahuman_ consumption. I got a text from AC, both he and Victor were sick last night too. J'onn's fine but Carter's not answering his phone.” Oliver replied, looking at the clock. He needed to be on his plane in less than an hour and he still felt like crap. Nothing like a vigilante hero or a successful CEO. He suspected that he also looked like he felt – like a guy who had been sick for the last eight hours. 

“Why am I not surprised?” Chloe replied, prying the lid off of a jar of Tylenol for herself.

Oliver raised an eyebrow at her. “I thought you didn't eat any. Are you sick too?”

“No, just a headache. While you guys were having your 'man night', I was stuck listening to 'Chapter 896 of the Kent/Lane Files,' from Lois' point of view. Not sure which of us got the worse end of that.”

Oliver made a face while he buttoned up his dress shirt. “Hmmm, eight hours of nausea versus three hours of Lois complaining about Clark's commitment issues. Easy choice. I can afford to buy Alka-Seltzer in bulk.”

Chloe gulped back her painkillers and stuck her tongue at him. “Next time, we switch. I get to stay here and watch action movies with the guys and you get to eat cheap Italian food and play designated driver to Drunky McMopington.”

“Now I know that wasn't in the vows,” Oliver said, looping his tie around his neck. “What's the problem this week?”

Chloe removed his used glass and replaced it with one containing orange juice. “Oh the usual, the relationship can't move forward until she feels like he's putting her first, which he isn't...yadda, yadda, yadda... By this point, I could have recited all her concerns for her in the first few minutes and we still might have had a hope of making the movie.”

“All that and you didn't even make the movie you wanted to see?” Oliver asked.

“No, not even close. Lois brought along some relationship book she found and spent most of dessert going over her take on Clark's shortcomings as a communicator.”

“Any member of the League could have done that and saved her the cover price on the book,” Oliver muttered. “You're a saint. When I get back, we'll go see that movie.”

Chloe smirked at him. “It's a British period drama. With costumes and everything. Won't you have to turn in your man card?”

Oliver leaned over the counter and kissed her. “Not if just make out in the back row the whole time.”

Chloe smiled and kissed him back. “Why don't we just stay in, order a movie here, and then we can do more than just make out?”

“You see? Compromise. We are so good at this marriage thing,” He reached over and pulled around the counter into his arms and kissed her again, this time more thoroughly, with their bodies pressed together more fully. He was both pleased and frustrated that she hadn't yet gotten dressed that morning and was wearing little more than a nightgown and thin silk robe.

He pulled back out of their kiss to check his watch over her shoulder. “If you can get dressed in the next eight minutes, you can come with me and we can finish this on the plane.”

Chloe made a familiar noise in her throat and patted his ass before breaking their embrace. “Tempting, but I can't. I have a meeting with the editor at the magazine at eleven and then I'm going to Smallville to see Martha. She invited us over for lunch, remember? She has some photos from the wedding that she wants to give us.”

“OK, too much to hope for, I guess. Tell Martha I said hi. And if you can manage it...and she has any lying around...” he trailed off, knowing she'd get his drift.

“I'll bring you back pie. I'm sure she has some set aside just for you.” Chloe said over her shoulder as she headed towards their bedroom.

“And that's why she's my second favorite female in the world,” Oliver replied, shrugging into his suit jacket. He stilled for a minute when she didn't respond. “You do realize that you're number one, right?”

“Don't be an idiot, Ollie.” Oh, she knew. 

He jogged a bit to catch up with her, catching her around the waist. He picked her up and kissed her so soundly that she actually whimpered. “I have to go now,” he told her.

“I know.”

“I don't want to.” Meetings were evil, board meetings doubly so. Board meetings in Star City when his wife was in Metropolis were the eighth circle of Hell.

“I know. I don't want you to go, either. Just come back soon,” she said.

“I will, tonight, if I can.”

“And I'll be here. With pie,” she teased. “Naked and with pie.”

“We are so good at this.”

 **End Prologue.**


	2. Chapter One

_Smallville...Kent Farm...Later that day...  
_  
Martha Kent greeted her with a crushing hug and fussed over her as if it had been four years since she'd seen her and not simply the four months since the wedding.

“Chloe, sweetheart, you look beautiful...just perfect!” Martha smoothed down her hair. “Oliver couldn't make it?”

“He's in Star City for a board meeting. He couldn't reschedule. He really wanted to come.”

“Oh, that's alright. We can have some girl talk without him. And I baked an extra pie so you can take it back for him.”

Chloe laughed as Martha wrapped an arm around her shoulders and led her into the house.. “He's counting on that!”

Once inside Martha's cozy kitchen, Chloe wasn't surprised to see that the woman had cooked enough lunch for a small army. “Is all this just for us?”

Martha looked embarrassed. “Sorry, too many years cooking for farm men. I haven't adjusted my recipes. I'll send whatever's leftover home with you for Oliver and the boys.”

It always amused Chloe the way Martha referred to the League as 'the boys', completely ignoring that they were all grown men and that Dinah was part of the League, though admittedly she was only part-time. “Thanks, Martha. When they can all eat solid food again, they'll appreciate it.”

Martha paused mid-chop. “What happened?”

“Bart.” Chloe said simply. Then, realizing that Martha wasn't with the League every day and would not accept the one word explanation that they all had learned to, added “He decided to surprise the guys on their 'male bonding night' by making chili. It didn't go over well.”

“Oh, that was sweet of him. I'm sure he meant well.”

“That's what Ollie said, when he was able to stand again.”

“Funny, Clark didn't mention getting together with the boys last night.” 

Chloe poured herself a tall glass of lemonade from the pitcher on the counter. She was feeling thirsty and hot. She'd had a long meeting with the editor of the magazine she was freelancing for, as she had quit her job at the Planet shortly after she and Oliver got engaged. Afterwards, the drive to Smallville had taken longer then usual due to traffic. The unseasonably warm April weather wasn't helping.

“He was invited, I know that. Something must have come up.”

Martha rolled her eyes. “Something always comes up.”

Chloe drained half the glass and shrugged. “It was probably an emergency.”

“Isn't it always? It just bothers me that he isn't more forthcoming with you and the boys. It's not as if he has anything to hide from you and now you're all in the position to help him. He shouldn't just leave you all hanging without any explanation.”

“Doesn't he do that to you sometimes?” 

“Yes, but I'm his mother. I'm used to it.”

Chloe snorted. “He should at least treat his mother better than he treats his friends, don't you think?” 

“Ha! From your lips... It's really a pity that you're too old for me to adopt you, Chloe,” Martha said, pouring the vegetables she'd chopped into a large bowl. “You're exactly the kind of daughter I would have wanted.”

Chloe's felt a tightening in her chest and a stinging in her eyes. “If...things were different, I like to think that my mom would have been a lot like you.”

Martha patted her hand and turned to put the cutting board in the sink, which gave Chloe time to pull herself together. Once she'd set the last of the serving plates on the table, she waved Chloe over and indicated to her that she should sit. Chloe was still feeling overheated from her drive so she pulled off the jacket of her suit and poured another glass of lemonade before joining Martha at the table.

“You know, there was a time when I hoped that get you as a daughter anyway, through marriage,” Martha said, giving Chloe a significant look. 

“Martha...”

“I know, I know...my son was an idiot and Oliver snatched you up first.”

“And Clark and I were never going to fit that way. Ollie and I do, “ Chloe said firmly, not really offended. More surprised that Martha Kent had given any thought to this at all. But then, her own father had definite opinions about her relationships so she should not be too surprised.

“I know that, honey, now. That's why I'm using the past tense. I'm just saying that at one point...I thought things would be better if Clark could just see how wonderful you are. I always knew we could trust you. Jonathan did too.”

“I appreciate that, especially since I didn't always deserve that trust.”

Martha waved off Chloe's last statement with her free hand, as she handed her a plate loaded with food. “Never mind all that. I'm just glad that you're with someone who can appreciate you for everything you are. My consolation prize for not getting you as a daughter is that I get to treat you and the boys as if you were all my kids.”

“That's very sweet, Martha but you don't know what you're asking for there. I know Clark was a handful to raise but you have no idea what I go through on a daily basis. Getting those guys to listen to me is no easy feat.”

“That's why you're perfect one for the job. And they do listen to you, they listen to you because they respect you.”

They ate in silence for a while, with Chloe happy to eat something that wasn't takeout for a change. She and Oliver had very limited cooking skills and even less time. She supposed she should do something about that. Maybe Martha would help her out. 

“This is really delicious, Martha. Do you think that one day I could come over and cook with you? I have little to no skill in the kitchen. Eventually Oliver and I are going to need to eat something besides breakfast, pasta, and takeout.”

“I would be honored. Just name the time.”

“And I'll call the Smallville Fire Department ahead of time to make sure they're ready.”

“You can't be that bad.”

“Pretty close.”

“Well, you can't be any worse than your cousin, that's for sure,” Martha said.

“You tried to teach Lois how to cook?” Chloe asked, incredulous. She'd always thought Martha Kent was brave, not suicidal.

“Once. And it's not likely to happen again. Don't get me wrong, she's a lovely young woman...she just doesn't take direction very well...” Martha trailed off with a funny look in her eye.

Chloe nodded in agreement. “She doesn't like people telling her what to do, that's for sure.”

“Even if it's 'Lois, move the potholder, it's on fire!'?”

Chloe dropped her fork and covered her mouth to prevent herself from choking through her laughter.

Martha pushed her chicken around on her plate. “I really liked those potholders, too. They were hand stitched.”

Chloe snickered into her hand, her giggles dying down. “Sorry, I should have warned you. I hope that incident didn't damage your relationship. Lois really likes you.”

“Oh I like her too. In fact, I invited her to join us today but she said she had to go to Gotham for an assignment. She was very sweet about it. Most of the time she and I get along just fine. We're just very different and, add to that, all that tension from their relationship. I think she's cautious about being herself around me because she's afraid things won't work out with Clark.”

Chloe nodded. “I think you're right...but this is kind of dangerous territory for me since she spent most of last night pouring her heart out to me about their...issues.”

“Oh, of course, you two are like sisters. Consider the subject closed. They're adults. They'll figure out things on their own. Without getting us involved.”

“Amen to that.” Chloe added, looking down at her plate. Martha had spooned up enough food to feed a linebacker.

“Remember, this is clean plate house, if you want dessert,” the older woman hinted, eyeing her uneaten portion.

“I hope you remember that I don't have Bart's appetite.” 

“Fair enough. More to take with you. Ready to see the pictures?” Martha asked.

“Yes, please,” Chloe answered eagerly causing Martha to laugh. 

“Don't you have your professional photos back yet?”

“Yes, they're great but they're too perfect looking. I prefer the candids.”

Martha reached into a drawer behind her while Chloe cleared away their plates, and cleaned up her hands as best she could.

“Oh, wow,” Chloe exclaimed, when Martha laid the packet in her hands. “You got some great shots.”

On the top of the pile was beautiful shot - likely taken well into the reception - of her seated comfortably on Oliver's lap, her white dress spread out over them both. He, in turn was seated on a large chair that she remembered was in the living room of the historic mansion outside Metropolis Oliver had rented for the occasion. Standing around the chair, were their League family: Bart, Victor, AC, Carter, J'onn, Dinah, and even Clark.

The wedding itself had been small given Oliver's profile. Less than one hundred people, all told – family, close friends, and a few business associates that Oliver could not leave out of the event. Lois insisted on being her maid of honor. Not wanting to upset any of the guys, Oliver declared all of them his best men.

Chloe flipped to the next photo and smiled at the image of her dancing with Bart. She remembered the look on Oliver's face when he noticed - too late - that Bart had worn his bright red running shoes instead of dress shoes with his tux. 

“Your dress was so beautiful, Chloe.” Martha tapped a photo that showed a full-length view of it. “I've never seen anything like it. Was it custom?”

“Yes,” Chloe replied, willing her cheeks not to turn pink. She doubted many brides had designed their wedding dress based almost solely on how their husbands would remove it...but she wasn't a typical bride. “I had another dress like that and it was special to me so I took it to a designer to recreate for the wedding.”

She flipped to another picture and her smile faded a little. It was one of her and her father and there was no mistaking the less than enthusiastic look on Gabe Sullivan's face.

Martha knew the story and read her reaction. “Has he come around since the wedding?”

“Not really.” Chloe shrugged. “At least he came, and gave me away and did all the 'father of the bride' things. He could have not shown up at all.”

“Has he made any attempt to get to know Oliver, to see that he's nothing like what the papers say?”

Chloe shook her head. “No, he just thinks I'm making a mistake. That Oliver is going to hurt me. That we rushed into things. It's hard because Dad doesn't know what we've been through these past few years and I can't tell him.”

“He should at least support your decisions, even if he doesn't agree with them. And he should be civil to your husband. That's what being a parent is about. People don't realize that parenting actually gets harder when your kids become adults. When they're kids, they have to listen to you because you're the adult. But when they grow up, you need to stand back and let them make their own decisions. That's when you learn what unconditional love is all about,” Martha explained.

Chloe nodded and she felt tears rolling down her face. She was thinking about her father and his refusal to accept Oliver. And she was thinking of meeting Connor and Moira, a year ago yet still twenty years into her future, and them telling Oliver that they were adults and that he couldn't stop them from using their healing powers to save Clark. She wondered if her father would ever change his mind. Would he ever get to know Connor and Moira, whenever they arrived?

Martha noticed her tears. “Oh, I'm sorry, sweetheart, I didn't mean to upset you.” She rose from the table and returned with a handkerchief. “Gabe will come around. Do you want me to talk to him?”

Chloe shook her head. “No, if he's going to come around, I'd prefer he did it on his own.” She wiped the rest of her tears away and shook herself, determined to enjoy the rest of the photos. 

She flipped to the next photo. And it brought a genuine smile to her face. Their first dance. Right before the dance, someone had joked loudly that Chloe might need a stepladder, and Oliver, ornery as ever and perhaps already a little bit buzzed on champagne, had responded by lifting his bride off her feet and swinging her around so fast that they'd both become engulfed in the fabric of her dress. Martha had snapped the photo at just that moment. 

“That's my favorite,” Martha confessed. I think you should get that one blown up---”

The back door blew opened and they both turned at the familiar 'whooshing' sound. Chloe half expected to see Bart, since she was far most used to his entrances these days but when the wind settled, it was Clark. Dressed for work in a button down shirt, godawful tie, and those goofy glasses of his.

“Mom, is that chicken I----Oh, sorry. I didn't realize you had company. Hey, Chlo.”

“Hi, Clark,”

“Hi, sweetheart. Yes, it's chicken and since Chloe hasn't even made a dent in hers, there's plenty. I'll fix you a plate.” Martha rose to begin reheating the food while Clark stood awkwardly by the table.

Chloe gathered up the photos. “Your mother thinks I need to eat enough to haul a plow after lunch.”

“She's used to feeding me.”

“I know. I need to get pointers from her on how to keep enough food at the Watchtower for Oliver and the guys. We're always running out.”

Clark shrugged and stuffed his hands into his pockets.

“Speaking of which, the guys were wondering why you didn't show last night. Other than a little food poisoning courtesy of Bart, it sounded like a great night. ”

“I really wanted to, but something---”

Chloe rolled her eyes. “I know, something came up. Maybe next time.” 

Clark nodded. “Sorry...Um...did you happen to talk to Lois last---”

Chloe shook her head to cut him off. “No, don't drag me into this, Clark. I've got enough to deal with right now. You and Lois have to work out your issues on your own.”

“Right...sorry. So...what are you doing out here?” 

Martha returned with a glass of lemonade for Clark. “I invited her. I haven't seen her or Oliver since the wedding. We have a lot of catching up to do.”

“Is Oliver here too?” Clark asked, looking around.

“No, he's in Star City for a meeting. He should be back tomorrow...or tonight, if he gets his way.” Chloe said with a smile at Martha. 

“Ahhhh, haven't spent a night apart yet, have you?” Martha teased. Chloe didn't respond, she was sure that her blush and grin told Martha everything she needed to know. “What are you doing here, Clark? Not that I mind, but I wasn't expecting you.”

Clark looked guilty. “I came to fix that window in the barn you asked me about.”

“The one I asked you to fix two weeks ago?” Martha specified, with slightly narrowed eyes.

“I was going to do it last week...but something---”

“Something came up, I know. Look, if you don't have time, I'll have someone out to fix it.”

“I'll do it today, Mom.” He got that familiar, distant look on his face and he narrowed his eyes in the direction of the front door. “Are you expecting a package? There's a delivery truck coming up the drive.”

Martha turned to get Clark's plate from the oven. “Not really, but my office is always forwarding documents from Washington for me to review. It's probably something like that.” She set his plate on the table. “I'll go sign for it. Eat,” she commanded.

“Yes, Mom.”

Chloe laughed at him and started flipping through the photos again. A minute later, they both froze when they heard a muffled scream from the front hallway. 

Clark dropped his fork and super sped to the front room, with Chloe following as closely as she could behind him. The delivery man had was holding Martha from behind, one arm locking hers behind her back and the other holding a gun to her head. Clark had skidded to halt in front of them but didn't move any further.

“Impressive speed, kid, but are you fast enough to stop this bullet from going into your Mom's head at this distance?” the man sneered. “I doubt it.”

Chloe looked at Clark in dismay and she knew he was calculating in his brain and concluding the same thing. With the gun only inches from her head, he couldn't stop the bullet. She doubted that even Bart was fast enough to do it at this distance.

“What do you want?” Clark shouted. “I'll give you what you want, just let her go.”

“Clark...don't...” Martha sobbed.

The delivery man tightened his grip on Martha's arm. “If I were you, honey, I'd shut up and let him handle this.”

“What do you want?” Clark repeated.

“You and the little blonde are coming with us. And the less trouble you give us, the less trouble we give Mom here.”

Chloe felt like she was going to throw up. “Where are you taking us?” she asked.

The man twisted Martha's arm and she whimpered in pain. “Now asking demanding questions, that's trouble, I said no trouble!”

“OK, OK...I'll cooperate,” Clark said. “But you don't either of them. I'll come with you.”

“Nice try, hero, but the little one is part of the plan too. In fact, she's essential. Now to make sure you come quietly, I was told to bring some insurance. Blondie, open that box over there.”

Mindful of the gun pointed at Martha, Chloe crept slowly to the flat black box the man had obviously dropped near the door when he pushed his way in. She had a sick feeling that she knew what was in the box before she even threw the latch. When she lifted the lid, the green glow from the inside confirmed her fears. Behind her, she heard Clark grunt in pain. It was a metal collar, imbedded with a row of large green meteor rocks all around. It was hinged on one side and opened with a heavy clasp on the other.

“Take it out, and put it on him,” the man commanded. “Remember what I said!”

“Chloe---” Martha pleaded.

Clark cut her off, “Just do it, Chloe!”

With shaking fingers, Chloe lifted the collar out of the box and turned to Clark. He had already sunk to the floor in pain, as the meteor rock was lifted from its lead case and came closer to his body. 

“Listen to the big guy, Blondie. He can handle what I can dish out. Mom can't.” 

Reluctantly, Chloe reached down and fastened the collar around Clark's neck. His eyes were closed in pain so he did not see the tears in her eyes when she did it. He was already shaking and she could see that he was starting to sweat. “I'm sorry,” she whispered. “I'm so sorry.”

“Nice work, Blondie. Now get in the van like a good girl.”

Chloe stood and looked at Martha one last time. She was crying. Chloe didn't know what this man was planning to do to Martha but if it spared the older woman, she'd go...and trust that she and Clark would figure out some way out of this. “I'm sorry,” she whispered to Martha and felt a little better when Martha nodded in return. 

“Get going, into the van!”

Chloe stumbled out of the house, down the front walk, and towards the back of the brown van. There was second man waiting for her, also wearing a delivery man's uniform, and also holding a gun. He grabbed her arm and practically lifted her into the back of the van and slid the door closed so that it was completely dark inside.

Minutes later, the door opened again and the two men heaved a now-unconscious Clark up into the back of the van with her. Chloe immediately crawled to his side and grasped his larger hand in hers before they were engulfed in darkness again.

*****  
 _Queen Industries Executive Offices...Star City...a short time later...  
_  
Oliver checked his watch. The meeting was moving along quickly. Perhaps it had something to do with the way he was directing people to keep their comments short and to put anything that wasn't absolutely essential in writing for him to read later. Or perhaps it had something to with the fact that he stared daggers at anyone who ventured off topic, even for a moment.

He had already staved off two requests for a break, hoping to to just power through the rest of the agenda and end early when his executive assistant appeared in the doorway of the conference room. The look on her face caught Oliver's attention. Something in his chest tightened. Something was wrong. He could feel it.

He rose from the conference table, ignoring the fact that one of his vice-president's was mid-presentation.

“What's the matter?” he asked his assistant once they were outside the conference room.

“There's a woman on the phone, she's very upset. She says she has to talk to you right now. That it's an emergency about your wife. She says her name is Martha. Martha Kent...”

The rest of what his assistant said was a blur as Oliver blindly crossed the room and grabbed the phone.

“Martha!!! What is it?”

He could barely make out Martha's words between her sobs but he got the drift.

 _“Chloe and Clark...farm...two men...meteor rock...guns... Chloe and Clark...gone”  
_  
“Stay there, you hear me, Martha? Stay right there. We're coming,” he shouted into the phone.

He ran to his office and pulled his comm out of his briefcase. His assistant was running behind him, asking a hundred useless, irrelevant questions. About the meeting, about his staff, about things that didn't matter.

“Meeting's over. I need to get out of here,” he shouted at her, pushing his way through the emergency doors that led to the building's stairs.

Moments later, he was on the roof of the Queen Industries building. He slipped his comm into his ear and activated it, fighting the wind that was whipping at his suit jacket and tie.

 _“Green Arrow to Hawman and Manhunter. I need air support and I need it now. What's your twenty?”  
_  
After a long frustrating moment, J'onn replied, _“Manhunter online. I'm in Metropolis, Arrow. Where are you now?”_

“Star City. Roof of the QI building, How fast can you get here?”

Carter interrupted,  _“Hawkman online, I'm in San Diego, Arrow. What's the problem?”_

“Hawkman, get here as fast as you can. You've got to get us to Smallville. Someone's taken Watchtower.”

There was a moment of silence, then rustling noises on the comm before Carter spoke again.  _“On my way. Arrow, you need to calm down...”  
_  
“Get here now!!!”

 **End Chapter One.**


	3. Chapter Two

_Smallville...Kent Farm...Two hours later...  
_  
Carter had barely touched down in the field near the Kent barn before Oliver took off running towards the house. He heard the rush of air behind him as Carter took off again. They'd agreed that he would go to Metropolis to help J'onn bring Victor and AC out to Smallville quickly. Bart, was already on his way to the farm on foot. They'd been trying to contact Dinah but she was on an assignment of her own and had not been able to answer. 

Oliver noted that Chloe's car was still parked in the drive but he didn't stop to check it. He needed to get to Martha.

He burst through the front door and found the older woman seated in the kitchen, clutching the telephone, tears streaming down her face. She hurled herself into Oliver's arms.

“Oliver! Oh my God, what are we going to do?”

Right now, Oliver didn't know. He knew he needed his team together and he needed to hear more of what had happened so they could plan a response but the fact was, his heart was beating so fast, he could hardly think straight. He swore that he could hear the sound of it in his ears, almost drowning out everything else. Carter was right, he needed to pull himself together.

He took one look at how distraught Martha was a decided to wait until the others arrived before making her recount the experience. She didn't look like she could get through it multiple times. Instead, the scanned the house, taking in the details - context clues - he reminded himself. Details that might be important. He willed himself to think more like the Green Arrow and less like Oliver Queen.

He spotted a few of Chloe's belongings in the kitchen. The jacket to that vintage suit she liked. Her purse on the counter. Her sunglasses and car keys lying next to it. A half-empty glass of lemonade with a stain on the rim in the shade of her favorite lipstick.

Oliver closed his eyes as the noise in his head grew louder. Pounding. 

A hand on on his arm shook him out of it. Oliver opened his his eyes. Bart. And J'onn, and Victor.

“Carter and AC are on their way,” Victor explained. “I brought some communications equipment. And your gear.”

“We tracked down Dinah. She's on a flight from Vancouver now. I'll go get her when it lands,” Bart added.

Oliver nodded, then cleared this throat, hoping his voice sounded something close to authoritative. “Alright, let's work this. I only want Martha to have to run this down once.”

He watched as the other men exchanged glances with each other but he didn't care what they were thinking. What the Hell else was he supposed to do?

They let Martha tell the story from beginning to end, and were joined halfway through by AC and Carter. Once she has let it all out, J'onn took her upstairs to lie down for a while, to calm down. She was still alternating between crying and apologizing to Oliver and it frankly wasn't helping the situation.

Carter broke the tense silence by stating the obvious. “The only one with access to enough meteor rock to make a collar like that is Luthor.”

“Now we just have to figure out which one of his eight thousand warehouses he has them stashed in,” Victor said drolly, then looked contrite when Oliver shot him a sharp look.

His mind finally clearing, Oliver remained focused on Victor. “Track her,” he commanded.

“How? Her phone and comm are here,” Victor countered, nodding to her purse on the table. 

Right, he hadn't told Victor yet. Oliver reached into his coat and extracted his wallet, pulled out a piece of paper. “I meant to have you add this the the database. Two more GPS chips, the top one's her wedding ring, the bottom one's the earrings I gave her last month. Try the first one first. I don't know what earrings she's wearing.”

Victor accepted the slip of paper and opened the laptop he'd brought with him.

“Chloe know you lo-jacked her?” Bart asked.

“As a matter of fact, she does. She made me put one in my ring, too,” Oliver held up his left hand. 

“You two are seriously paranoid,” Bart shook his head and Oliver's temper flared. 

“Doesn't really look like our paranoia was unfounded right now, does it?” he snapped.

“Dude, chill! We'll find them.”

“Got it.” Victor said, triumphantly. “She's still moving.”

“Where?” Oliver leaned over Victor's shoulder to get the location from the satellite map. He nodded, pulled his jacket suit jacket off and began rolling up his sleeves. Turning to Carter he said, “You tired?”

Carter shook his head. “No.”

“Good, because you're on aerial recon, starting five minutes ago.”

*****  
 _...Meanwhile…Miles from Smallville...  
_  
In the darkness of the truck, the glow from the meteor-rock collar was an odd beacon. Or at least it was, until Chloe unfastened it from Clark's neck and tossed it into a far corner of the truck. She'd deal with the consequences from their abductors later. Right now, she needed to minimize Clark's exposure. For a few minutes, she explored the walls and door of the van's cabin, probing for weaknesses, hidden latches, anything that might help them escape. Unfortunately, the cabin was sealed tight and the door locked from the outside. 

The first duty of the prisoner was to escape but at this phase, it would be difficult, if not impossible, until Clark got his strength back. She considered trying to heal him but decided it was too risky at this point. He would not be strong enough to carry her and break out of the van right away. They'd both be vulnerable for a long while. She needed to do it when she could be sure they'd have a window of time alone.

Mind still racing, she sat heavily back on the floor of the van next to Clark. The movement of the van and the darkness was making her sick. She hoped that wherever these men were taking them that they got there soon. At this point, she had no doubt that Lex was behind their abduction. Only he would have access to that much meteor-rock and know enough about both her and Clark to abduct them together. 

Chloe twisted the ring on her left hand. She only hoped that Oliver and the guys would be able to get a signal from the GPS and track her down before Lex did...whatever he planned to do to them.

*****  
 _Smallville...Kent Farm...Some time later...  
_  
“Cyborg to Hawkman. Tell me what you see.”

 _“If the tracker is right and she's in that van, it just went underground. You're about to lose her signal if you haven''t already.”  
_  
“Confirmed Hawkman. It's gone.” Victor said.

Oliver clenched his jaw as the dot on the screen disappeared. “Arrow to Hawkman. More info. Anything you got.”

 _“The van just entered some kind of underground facility. There's no structure above ground, just an entrance. Impossible to tell how big it is.”  
_  
“And the entrance?'

 _“Bottleneck, Arrow. One way in. One way out.”  
_  
Oliver pulled the comm off of his ear. “Fuck.”

“Stand by, Hawkman.” Victor said before flicking off the mic.

“Luthor's not an idiot. He knows that we rely on satellite imaging and aerial recon. If we can't see the layout of the facility, we'll walk right into a trap.”

Victor nodded. “So what now?”

“We've got to think.” He paused. “Call Bart, tell him to bring the van back here when he picks up Dinah. We might need it.” Oliver slipped the comm back on. “Arrow to Hawkman, maintain recon. I want to know if any more vehicles enter or leave that facility, how many, and how often. Any intel you can get.”

 _“Confirmed. Hawkman out.”  
_  
Oliver stared at the satellite image on Victor's screen, beginnings of a plan forming. “Where's J'onn?” 

“Upstairs with Mrs. Kent. She's still pretty upset.” AC replied.

“Go get him. I'm going to need him for this.”

*****  
 _…Underground Luthor Corp facility...  
_  
The van parked and their two abductors lifted Chloe out of it first. She blinked at the bright lights in what appeared to be some kind of garage. There were no windows, sign, or identifying marks for her to use to figure out her location or memorize for later. It briefly occurred to her that the two men would have their hands full getting Clark out of the van and she might be able to make a break for it but just as quickly as the thought crossed her mind, a third man in a white lab coat appeared at her side and gripped her by her upper arm. The next thing she knew, she was being led down a series of plain white windowless corridors. 

It was some kind of maze, and as they walked, she felt sure they were taking an indirect route to deliberately confuse her should she try to escape. She looked behind her and she saw her other two abductors wheeling a still-unconscious Clark on a gurney. She also noted that they'd replaced the collar she had removed in the van.

Finally, they reached the room that they were looking for. Lab Coat pulled her inside first and the others wheeled Clark in. There was another gurney in the room waiting and her stomach tightened when she thought about what it might be for. The fears increased exponentially when she noticed the medical monitoring equipment she was all too familiar with. Two sets. 

Unable to stop herself, she whirled on Lab Coat. “Why are we here?” He ignored her and instead crossed the room to attach various pads and sensors to Clark. Since he didn't use a hacksaw, Chloe assumed that none of them were invasive.

She turned to one of the delivery men. “Why are you doing this?”

“Why does anyone do anything? Oh right, because somebody pays them a shitload of money upfront to do something fairly simple,” the man quipped back. “And before you ask me who I'm working for, save it. I have no idea. All I know is that he pays in cash. Oh and he said we couldn't party with you.” His dull gray eyes flicked down her body and Chloe had to resist the urge to cover her bare arms. “Too bad, I like small packages. You look like fun.”

“Go fuck yourself,” Chloe ground out. 

“Not gonna have to, not with the payday we got. I can afford to buy the best. Catch you later, Blondie. Oh, and I'd behave myself if I were you. Whoever this dude is, he's got cameras all over this place. He's watching you.”

The delivery men and Lab Coat left. Locking the door behind them.

Chloe rushed to the door and began examining the lock, the hinges, everything she could see as a possible escape. But there were no keyholes, cracks, or crevices she could exploit. The mechanism was seamless. Exactly what she would expect from him. She checked on Clark one more time, relieved to find he was still breathing. With shaking fingers, she was trying to to remove the collar again when the familiar voice filled the room.

 _“Miss Sullivan...”  
_  
Chloe exhaled at the audible confirmation of her fears. Lex. She looked around for the source of the voice and spotted two small speakers near the ceiling. She also spotted small indentations in the walls that could only be for cameras.

 _“...my apologies. It's Mrs. Queen now, isn't it?”  
_  
Chloe stared ahead at the wall.

 _“Never figured for a gold-digger, Chloe. You always presumed to be above all that...but I guess everyone has a price. You really should have let me know what yours was before you settled for someone so intellectually inferior to yourself. We could have made an incredible team.”  
_  
Chloe pressed her lips together to prevent herself from speaking. 

 _“...And given the way he's kept you locked up in that Tower of his since your wedding, I can only assume that he's reverted back to his natural Neanderthal tendencies...”  
_  
“Stop talking about him,” Chloe spat out. “You're not half the man he is and you know it.”

 _“Ah...got a soft spot for your conquest, do you? Even though he probably can't appreciate you on any level beyond how you fill a sweater? Not to worry, though, I appreciate_ all  _of your talents.”  
_  
“What do you want?”

 _“I think you know. As you've no doubt noticed, our mutual friend there is feeling under the weather. He's counting on you and your special talent to nurse him back to health. This time, I get to watch and take notes.”  
_  
“You bastard! You did this just to use us lab rats?”

 _“Your words, not mine. I prefer to think of this as a test. You pass, you leave. You fail. You stay and...try again. For as long as I want.”  
_   
**End Chapter Two.**


	4. Chapter Three

  
_…Smallville...Kent Farm...later that day...  
_  
“J'onn, we all have ethical lines in the sand. If this crosses yours, you have to tell me now so I can come up with another plan. Don't waste my time,” Oliver said bluntly.

“Do I get time to think it over?” J'onn asked with a touch of sarcasm.

“Think fast.” He activated his comm. “Arrow to Hawkman. What do you have?”

 _“Steady stream of of traffic in and out. I've counted a ten or twelve vehicles moving in an out. It's definitely too busy given that it's the middle of friggin' nowhere. Something's going on in there. This smells like classic a 33.1 lab. I've checked the exiting vehicles, by the way. Clark and Chloe weren't in any of them. They're still inside.”  
_  
At the mention of his wife's name, Oliver's gaze shifted back to J'onn.

“Standby, Hawkman,” he said. “Well?”

“Tell me what info you need. I'll get it.”

*****  
 _…Underground Luthor Corp facility...Sometime later...  
_  
Lab Coat was back. He gripped Chloe by the arm again and pulled her closer to the machines. He attached monitoring pads to her arm. She assumed they were for heart rate and blood pressure based on how the machines beeped after they were attached. Then the removed the collar from Clark's neck and left the room.

Chloe looked down and Clark. He was still breathing but it was weak and shallow. He had broken out a sweat early on and his shirt was now drenched. Every once and a while he groaned in pain before slipping into unconsciousness again. 

Chloe gripped his hand in hers and stole a glance up to where she thought the cameras were.

There was no way around this. She couldn't let him suffer, even if it meant giving Lex exactly what he wanted. 

 _“What are you waiting for, Chloe?”  
_  
*****  
 _...Smallville...Kent Farm...Meanwhile...  
_  
“Cyborg to Hawkman. What have you got?”

 _“Give us a minute will you?_ ” Carter barked back.

There was a brief scuffling sound and then a groan, followed by Carter's voice on the comm.  
 _“We tailed two guys coming out. Cornered 'em about a mile from the facility like you wanted. They put up more of a fight than we thought. Looks like Luthor's hiring trained animals now. Ones that can fight---”  
_  
“But did you get anything?” Oliver interrupted.

 _“Easy, Arrow. J'onn's working them now. Stand by.”  
_  
By 'working them', Oliver knew that J'onn was forcibly taking information about the facility from their minds, something he was not happy to do. In fact, Oliver was stunned that the he had agreed to do it at all.

After a few minutes, J'onn's voice was on the comm.

 _“Manhunter online. I've got rough schematics on the facility and access codes. Still need a holding location and details on the facilty's computer systems. We'll need to find more people.”  
_  
Oliver felt AC and Victor's eyes on him. They too, knew how uncomfortable J'onn was with these tactics and were also surprised that he was going through with it. J'onn seemed to have a strict moral code when it came to using his powers.

“Confirmed, Manhunter. Repeat as needed,” Oliver commanded. “And make sure they can't remember you or Hawkman. Take any memory of what just happened. I know you can't replace them...just leave them with the time gap.”

The comm was silent for a while. Then J'onn spoke.  _“Arrow, how do you know about that?”_

Too late, Oliver realized that he had come by that information on his trip to the future, that this version of J'onn had never told him that he could remove memories.

“Need to know, Manhunter. Arrow out.” Oliver pulled off his comm to end the conversation.

AC rounded on him. “What the Hell was that about?”

“What?”

“J'onn...and the memory thing. He's never told  _us_ the he could do that. And it sure sounded like he had never told  _you_.”

“I asked him to do it and he agreed. Just drop it. We have more important things to do. Like making sure that Dinah and Bart bring everything we're going to need.”

“Something weird is going on here, man.” AC shook his head.

“Yes, Luthor just kidnapped two of our teammates and we need to get them back. Focus on that.  _Both_ of you.” Oliver yelled, tossing a look at Victor.

*****

 _…Underground Luthor Corp facility...Meanwhile...  
_  
 _“What are you waiting for, Chloe?”  
_  
Something was wrong, her powers weren't starting. Usually all she needed was physical contact with someone and to focus her mind on the task and they started. Her hands would get warm and she'd channel the energy through them. But it wasn't happening now. She moved her hands around on Clark's chest and took a deep breath. 

Still nothing.

“Something's wrong, it's not working,” she said out loud, more to herself than to Lex.

 _“You don't expect me to believe that, do you?”  
_  
“I'm not lying, you asshole. And I really don't care what you think. I am trying here. Something's wrong. You don't think I would just leave him here if I could help him, do you?”

 _“Frankly, I don't know what you're capable of anymore, Miss Sullivan. Why do you think you're here?”  
_  
Chloe tried to heal Clark a few more times before collapsing into a nearby chair. This had never happened before. Since her powers manifested themselves, she'd always been able to turn them on when she needed them. Maybe Lex had used a different type of meteor-rock on Clark. Maybe that was part of the test. She certainly wouldn't put it past him.

A short time later, Lab Coat came back. This time carrying a tray with bottled water and some kind of food on it. He set it down and the table.

“You should eat this.” 

Chloe shook her head. She wasn't an idiot. Lex was not above drugging his victims, she knew. He wasn't above much of anything.

Leb Coat didn't press the issue. He pushed back a section of the wall revealing a small alcove with a sink and toilet. “There's a rest room behind here.”

Chloe shook her head. She didn't need it. And she didn't want to use it given that there were probably cameras in there too.

Lab Coat walked to her and she instinctively tensed. He took her by the arm and led her towards the other gurney in the room.

She panicked. “What are you doing?”

“You need to rest. You're going to be asked to try again in a few hours. Eat, rest, do what you have to do to be ready.” Lab Coat said flatly. He tried to help her onto the gurney but she jerked away and walked around the other side of it, looking pointedly at him. 

His stoic face broke after a while. “I'm sorry.” he whispered. “Very sorry.” he said before leaving the room.

Suddenly feeling exhausted, both mentally and physically, Chloe heaved herself up onto the gurney. Despite the bright lights, the choppy sounds of Clark's breathing, and the overwhelming fear, she fell into a fitful sleep. 

*****  
 _...Smallville...Kent Farm...later that evening...  
_  
J'onn and Carter returned, followed shortly by Bart and Dinah. They gathered around the Kents' dining room table using the information J'onn had obtained to plan. 

He'd gotten a great deal. All of it useful. The had enough to plan a strategic infiltration. All the necessary steps. 

Exterior Security. Second Line Defense. Computer Systems. People. Charges. Evacuation. Destruction. 

They'd done it before. They could do it again. 

Oliver left the team to finalize the details and went into the living room to think and check his gear. It was nearly midnight. Chloe had been gone for ten hours. He was trying not to think about the kinds of things that Lex could do to her in that time. They would need to leave soon if they were going to use the last of the darkness as cover.

He felt another presence in the room and looked up.

J'onn.

“Thank you,” Oliver said after a moment, laying down the arrow he'd been holding.

“I didn't cross any lines that I didn't want to. No need to thank me,” J'onn replied.

“Fair enough.”

“And that information in your head, whatever you can't tell me. I'm not going near it. For future reference, that's my line in the sand.”

And J'onn went back to the kitchen before Oliver could reply.

Fifteen minutes later, they were suited up and ready to go.

 **End Chapter Three**.


	5. Chapter Four

_…Underground Luthor Corp facility...Meanwhile...  
_  
Chloe awoke to the unpleasant, familiar voice.

 _“Glad to see you took the doctor's advice and got some rest. If you didn't we were well prepared to give you something to cure your insomnia.”  
_  
Chloe sat up, mental fog clearing but not her disgust for both the situation and the owner of that twisted voice. Not for the first time, she wondered why he was doing nothing to hide his identity. Was he truly that arrogant? Did he really think that he could get away with this?

Clark groaned from the gurney across the room and Chloe rose from hers and rushed to meet him. He seemed to be coming around, probably because the meteor-rock had been out of the area for some time now. He still looked sick and in serious pain.

“Clark? Clark, it's Chloe. Can you hear me?'

Clark opened his eyes. “Chloe? Where are we?”

“Not sure. No, don't try to get up,” she warned.

 _“Not going to tell him who your host is, Chloe? I'm hurt.”  
_  
Clark heaved himself into a sitting position, a move that looked like ti took a tremendous amount of energy. “Is that...is that...”

Chloe nodded. “Yes. He wants me to heal you. So he can watch and test us both.”

 _“All in the name of science. You wouldn't want to stand in the way of science, would you, Clark?”  
_  
“Go to Hell!” Clark shouted.

He laughed.  _“Instead of hurling such blistering insults at me, I would think you'd be wondering why your best friend hasn't healed you yet. I did tell her that you two would be free to go once she did.”_

Clark immediately turned to Chloe. “What's going on?”

“My power, it's not working. I tried, Clark. I couldn't do it.”

Clark sat up straighter. “Don't worry about it, Chloe. Don't listen to him. I'll get us out of here.”

 _“Certainly, Clark. We've all been thoroughly impressed with your heroics thus far.”  
_  
“Shut up!” snapped Clark.

“I'm going to try again,” Chloe told him.

“Chloe, you don't have to---” Clark began, wincing.

 _“Ah, Clark, let the lady do what she wants. She's always been the brains of your little duo, hasn't she? Try listening to her for a change.”  
_  
Chloe ignored Lex's taunts and pressed her hands to Clark's chest again.

Again, nothing happened. She squeezed her eyes shut and tried to will herself to calm down and breath deeply. Still nothing.

“Dammit, why isn't this working?” she cried out in frustration, slamming her hands down.

“Ow!” Clark said at the force, and she winced. “Sorry.” She'd forgotten that she could hurt him in this state.

 _“Why indeed, Chloe, why indeed?”  
_  
“I don't know what's wrong.” Chloe said. Why had her powers deserted now? She tried to recall the last time she'd used her powers. The League had been fairly injury free for the previous few weeks. Maybe two months ago? Bart's sprained ankle? AC's knife wound?

 _“...Correct me if I'm wrong, Chloe, but haven't your powers always required a bit of...feelings for your patient? You have to care about the person you're healing for things to work, don't you?”  
_  
Chloe shook her head. “No...not exactly...” then her face hardened. She was not discussing this with him.”This is none of your business.”

 _“Oh I think it's all my business now. Especially since you're enjoying my hospitality. So, theories anyone? I have one. Clark, try this on for size. Maybe Chloe doesn't care enough about you anymore to heal you. Maybe you're finally as expendable to her as she's been to you all these years.”  
_  
“That's not true!” Clark shouted but Chloe pushed on his chest. “Don't listen to him, Clark, this is another of his games. He's trying to get in our heads. Don't let him.”

 _“If you have another explanation, Chloe, I'd love to hear it. You're married now, and while I don't think very highly of your selection, all that really matters is whether he's replaced Clark in your esteem. Has he?”  
_  
“I told you to stop talking about him!” Chloe yelled, stepping away from Clark and looking in the direction of the speakers. 

 _“Chloe, I'll remind you that you aren't in a position to order me to do anything. You'll be here as long as I want you to be and you'll do what I want you to do...”  
_  
“I tried! It's not working!”

 _“Then you need to try harder. Doesn't she, Clark?”  
_  
Clark shook his head wearily. Even that effort seeming to much for his weak body. “She doesn't have to do what you say.”

 _“She doesn't really have a choice, now, does she? No one's coming to save you, Chloe. Your so-called hero is waiting for you to do it. So what's the problem?”  
_  
Chloe didn't answer him.

 _“Well...I see marriage hasn't impacted your temperament. You're still stubborn to a fault. I'll need to give you some extra incentive.”  
_  
*****  
 _….Justice League Van...miles from Smallville...  
_  
“Let's run it down again,” Oliver said into the comm.

“Man, Boss, we've run it down. We know what to do---” Bart countered.

“We'll run it down again.” Oliver bit out, practically growling. “We have exactly one shot at his. We're not going to screw it up because someone is out of position.”

 _“ Arrow is right, we should run it down again, we have time.”_  Carter interrupted over the comm. He was traveling by air, far above the van. Oliver had to remember to thank Carter for his back-up. Carter, of all people, must know that working this like a mission was the only think keeping Oliver sane.

They ran through their plan one more time.

Bart and AC on Exterior Security, relying heavily on Bart's speed and the element of surprise

J'onn and Carter attacking the Second Line Defenses once Bart and AC had cleared the way.

Victor would then taken down the computer systems, taking out the power if possible. The facility’s emergency lights would kick in, and that should give them interior light to complete the rest. 

Taking down the computers would take three or four minutes, during which Dinah would provide Victor coverage against any additional security. Once Victor had used his access to the system to ascertain where they were holding Clark, Chloe or any additional hostages, he'd relay this information to Oliver, Bart and AC so they could begin clearing out the people. 

Dinah and Carter would follow, laying charges in each vacated room while J'onn and Victor secured the any people they found – friendly and unfriendly – in a holding area a safe distance from the compound. 

They knew from J'onn's information gathering that Lex was not onsite but was monitoring from elsewhere. He would know the second they hit the facility and would probably knew who was doing it.

They didn't care if he knew. In fact, Oliver actually preferred it that way. Once they had Clark and Chloe out, the Justice League was going to blow Lex's newest den of horrors straight to Hell.

*****  
 _…Underground Luthor Corp facility...Meanwhile...  
_  
Chloe had to cave and use the bathroom. The situation became urgent and she chose one level of dignity over another. She just decided not to think about he cameras and got through it. She also washed her hands and face and rinsed her mouth with water from the sink. She refused to drink though. And despite starting to feel faintly dizzy from so many hours without food or water, she refused to touch the food and drink on the tray. She'd pass out first before willingly accepting any sustenance from Lex.

Instead she lay down on the empty gurney and spoke to Clark. Just the occasional encouraging phrase to keep him conscious.

“Chlo---” he asked after a time.

“Yes, Clark?”

“Any idea why your powers aren't working?”

“I don't know, Clark. It might be because I'm too tired or too scared to concentrate.” She paused. “Don't listen to him. It's not because I don't care. I know it's not that. I love Oliver but you're still my best friend, Clark. I still care about you.Do you believe me.”

Clark shifted his body to look at her, wincing as the movement seemed to caused him more pain. “Never doubted it for a minute. You're still my best friend, too. You don't have to prove yourself to me, Chloe. Not anymore.”

Chloe smiled weakly. “Ditto.”

*****  
“Cyborg? ETA?”

“Seven minutes, Arrow.”

“Manhunter, Hawkman? Do you have a visual on the exterior?”

 _“Confirmed. All clear.”  
_  
“Alright, people. We're a go.”

*****  
 _…Underground Luthor Corp facility...Meanwhile...  
_  
Lab Coat was back.

Somehow Chloe knew that it was not a good sign. She looked at man's face and she knew. He looked guilty. As if he was about to do something that he didn't want to do.

His hands went to the pockets of his lab coat and extracted a syringe and a small vial.

A vial contained a bright green liquid.

No.

Chloe sat up on the gurney and pushed herself to her feet, fighting the dizziness that washed over her.

“What are you doing?” she asked him harshly.

He didn't answer. Instead, Lex did.

 _“Like I said, Chloe. Extra incentive.”  
_  
Chloe's eyes went wide as she watched the man in the Lab Coat filled the syringe from the vial and walked towards Clark.

 _“He should be weak enough for you to pierce his skin.”_ Lex told the man.  _“Chloe, this adds a certain urgency to the situation, don't you think? We'll see if you can summon the will to help your hero now.”  
_  
Chloe lunged forward. She couldn't let them put pure liquified meteor-rock into Clark. It would eat him alive, killing him from the inside out. 

She had to fight this. Powers or no powers, she couldn't just let this happen.

With more speed than she would have thought possible, she reared back and kicked the syringe from the man's startled hands, using one of the self-defense kicks that Dinah had taught her. It flew across the room, crashing into the wall and shattering. She rounded on the startled man and punched him with all her might before he could react. A second, less precise kick to his mid-section knocked him to his knees.

He coughed, before collapsing onto his stomach.

 _“Impressive display, Chloe.”_  Lex said, his voice noticeably tenser.  _“Hope it felt good because you and Clark are going to pay for it...”_

Chloe panted from the exertion. The room was starting to sway. Suddenly everything went dark and an ear-splitting alarm began to sound. Seconds later, smaller lights began to flash from the room's corners, casting an eerie red glow onto the everything.

“What's happening?” Clark croaked.

“I don't know...” Chloe stumbled towards her gurney in the dim light. Weak and tired. And scared.

*****  
 _…Underground Luthor Corp facility...Meanwhile...  
_  
“Cyborg...we need you to work faster...” Oliver said into the comm.

“Working as fast as I can, Arrow...” Victor replied calmly. “Got it...straight ahead, third corridor, make a right.”

“Copy that. Let's move...”

Oliver could hear Dinah talking to Carter over the comm about charges and to J'onn about the safe zone but Oliver only listened to Victor's directions, making sure that Bart and AC were with him.

 _“Third door...it has to be that one...that's were the video feed was coming from...”_  Victor said and Oliver pushed on the door. Victor had disabled the locks but it still would not budge. Without hesitation, Oliver pulled one of his own smaller charges from his quiver and attached it to the lock.

“Fire in the hole,” he shouted, and Bart and AC retreated. He followed and activated the charge. Bart had the door open before the smoke cleared, with Oliver and AC close behind. 

As he cleared the threshold, Oliver spotted Chloe's small frame through the smoke and dim red light immediately. Leaning heavily against a gurney and sliding fast. His heart lurched in his chest and he didn't even feel his feet moving but within seconds he was at her side, catching her before she fell.

“I'm here, Baby...I'm here...” he said into her ear as he scooping her up. “I got you.”

“Cameras...” she whispered back in warning and he suspected that she was slipping into unconsciousness.

“We got 'em...”

“Clark...on the gurney...” she added.

Oliver nodded to AC who had just lifted Clark into a fireman's carry. Bart lifted the other man in the room and left in a blur.

Pulling Chloe closer to his chest, Oliver followed them out while Carter and Dinah entered the space to lay the charges.

A few minutes later, they had Chloe and Clark laid out in the van. Oliver hovered over Chloe as she drifted awake again. “Chlo--” he said. “Are you OK? What do you need?”

“Water...just water,” she said hoarsely.

AC tossed him a bottle while Bart ran out to help Dinah and Carter with the last of the charges. AC found blankets for Chloe and Clark.

As Chloe drank, Oliver looked over at Clark. He looked bad, really bad.

Chloe sat up, following his gaze. “Meteor-rock exposure...a long time. I can't help him. We need to get him to Emil.”

Oliver nodded and pulled her closer to his chest, pulling off his glasses with his free hand. “We will...don't worry. Just rest.”

“Ollie...I love you...” she said, before closing her eyes again.

“I love you, too. More than anything.”

Minutes later, Dinah, Bart, and Victor climbed into the van again, shutting the doors behind them.

“Cyborg, we need to get Clark to Emil, fast as you can.” Oliver shouted. 

“Copy that, Arrow.” Victor replied, starring up the van.

 _“Arrow, no other hostages, just Luthor's employees. We've got them secured in the safe zone.”_  J'onn said.

“Copy. Leave them for the cops. Let's get out of here. Hawkman, two minutes, then light it up.” Oliver replied, still holding Chloe to his chest as he knelt on the van floor.

Two minutes later, they were over a mile away but they all still heard the sound and saw the flash of light through the van windows when Luthor's newest facility went up in flames.

 **End Chapter Four.**


	6. Chapter Five

_Metropolis...QI Labs...later that morning...  
_  
“No...I told you...he didn't do anything else to me...He just wanted me to heal Clark, and when I couldn't do it, they made me sleep, then tried to make me eat...” Chloe said, her arm raised to hold the cotton ball in place as one of Dr. Hamilton's nurses had just taken a blood sample from her.

“You didn't?” Oliver asked, from his position next to her examination table.

Chloe shook her head. “Are you crazy? He could have poisoned me!”

Oliver smiled. “That's my girl.” He pulled her close enough that she could smell the leather of his vest.  
“God, Chloe, I was so scared,” he whispered into her hair.

“It's OK, I'm here,” she reassured him. “You saved us, Ollie. We're OK.”

“I should have known that he would come after you. He's obsessed with you.”

“No...” Chloe said firmly, “I won't let you blame yourself for this. Lex is smart but tonight you were smarter. We can beat him. I know we can.”

“It wasn't just me– it was J'onn, Carter, everyone...I couldn't have done this without them. I was just the jackass ordering everyone around.” He rubbed his second day stubble. “It's a wonder they're all still talking to me.”

Chloe tugged his hand to bring him in front of her. “I'm sure they understand. You can talk to them later if you need to. How's Clark?”

“Still pretty weak. Emil's with him now and I asked Bart to head to farm and bring Martha back here. She was pretty upset when we left.”

Chloe sat straighter on the table. “Oh God, Martha! I almost forgot! She must be a wreck.”

“She's a little better now. J'onn called her. Now she's worried about Clark.”

“Do you think I can try again now?”

“Only if you're up to it. Dr. Hamilton said you were pretty dehydrated and you haven't eaten anything.”

“Ollie, I couldn't eat anything right now. I'm still feeling nauseous from the van. All I can handle is water. I'll eat when this is over, I promise. I do want to give healing Clark one more try, though. I'd feel terrible if I could have helped him and I didn't.”

Oliver nodded. “OK, one more try but I'd taking you in there. You practically passed out in the van.”

Chloe shrugged and grinned. “Blame Victor's driving.”

Oliver snorted and scooped her up into his arms. Chloe didn't even try to fight him. She knew she could probably make it to the other room on her own two feet but she sensed that Oliver needed to hold her more than she needed to walk. And she didn't mind at all.

*****  
When they reached the examination room where Dr. Hamilton was tending to Clark, Oliver frowned at the doctor's questioning look. “She wants to try again. We should let her.”

Carefully he set her down next to Clark's bed, being careful to stand behind her to catch her when and if her powers did kick in. She laid her hands on Clark's chest, and heard her breath deeply but nothing happened. No light. Chloe's body didn't jerk as it often did once the pain hit her. She was right, there was definitely something wrong with her powers. She sagged against Oliver and looked at Clark, who was conscious again but weak and sweating with fever.

“I'm sorry, Clark. I'm trying. I really am.”

“I know you are, Chloe. I told you...remember...what I said...Nothing to prove.”

The door to the room burst open and Oliver turned to see Martha, looking wind-blown and tired, stumble in. Chloe rushed to throw her arms around her. “Martha!”

“Chloe! Thank God! Are you OK?” 

“I'm fine...it's just...I'm so sorry, Martha. The meteor-rock collar, it was on him for hours. I tried to heal him but my powers aren't working. I don't what to do...”

Martha pulled back and wiped some of Chloe's tears. “It's OK, Chloe. Relax, we'll think of something. You don't have to apologize.” 

Martha stepped to the bed and clasped one of Clark's large pale hands. “Clark? I'm here.”

“Mom?”

“How do you feel?”

“Cold...sick...”

Martha looked at Dr. Hamilton who looked apologetic. “I'm at a loss here, Mrs. Kent. In the past we've been able to rely on Chloe's ability for this type of thing. But apparently your son was exposed to the meteor-rock for quite some time. It's not in his system right now but it did weaken him severely. Has this happened before? If you remember something, anything that might work, I'll try it.”

“I don't know...it's been so long since...” Martha stopped and looked at Oliver. “The sun's up,” she said.

Oliver frowned, confused. “Yeah...?”

“If we can get him outside...into the sun...that's helped before... It makes him stronger...”

Chloe nodded, “OK, but how long do you think it would take?”

“I don't know. It's always different.”

“Wait.. hang on, you think taking him out in the sun will help?” Oliver asked, trying to catch up.

Martha nodded and Dr. Hamilton raised his hands. “If you've got a better idea, Oliver...”

“Actually, I do...” Chloe interjected and they all turned to her. She grabbed the comm off of Oliver's ear and put it on hers. Activating it, she said. “Watchtower to Cyborg....find me the closest building that runs on solar power...Hawkman, J'onn, get ready to fly.”

*****  
 _Metropolis...QI Labs...later that morning...  
_  
They waited. 

Once Victor had found a building nearby that was partially solar powered with an array of panels on its roof, J'onn and Carter had flown Clark over to it, taking Victor along to help. He was going to rewire the collection panels to direct all the energy they collected towards Clark. They had no idea if it would work, but there was nothing else to try. Dr. Hamilton's expertise was meteor rock mutations, not meteor-rock poisoning in Kryptonians. 

So, all of them - Chloe, Oliver, Martha, Dinah, AC, Bart, and Dr. Hamilton – waited back at the Labs.

Finally, Chloe's comm beeped. “Watchtower online. Go.”

“Hawkman to Watchtower. It's working. Pretty well too. He's coming around. Fever's gone and he's getting his strength back.”

“Thanks, Hawkman. Good work. Watchtower offline.” Chloe said, letting out the breath she'd been holding.

Chloe found herself swept up in Oliver's arms again before she could turn off the comm. Around her, the team members were hugging each other in relief. 

“Nice work, Watchtower.” Oliver said in her ear.

“You too, Arrow. You, too.”

*****  
 _Metropolis...QI Labs...later that morning...  
_  
Oliver helped Chloe up onto the examination table for the second time in as many hours. 

“Are you sure you don't want me to stay?” he asked. 

“I'm sure, you're just going to hover and make Dr. Hamilton antsy.”

“I don't hover.”

Chloe made a face at him. “Don't even try to deny it. You hover and you make faces and it makes Dr Hamilton crazy, not to mention it's distracting. I'd prefer to have his full concentration, thank you. Go get coffee or something.”

“I don't want coffee.”

“Then go get coffee for me!” she countered.

“You should eat something before you have any coffee.”

“OK, fine. Go get me something to eat.”

“Well, what do you want?”

“I don't care, surprise me...just go.”

“OK, OK, I'm going...” he leaned to kiss her. “But I'll be right outside.”

“I thought you were getting me food.”

He grinned. “It's called delegating.”

Oliver found the rest of his team out in the waiting room, along with Clark and Martha Kent.

Clark looked infinitely better after his solar boost. Oliver was going to need to have Chloe explain that to him one more time because he still didn't quite get how that had worked. But Clark was walking around and most of his strength seemed to have returned.

Looking around at the group, most of whom were still in their League gear, Oliver recalled what a jackass he'd been through the whole ordeal and racked his brain for something to say to his team. Chloe was so much better at this kind of thing.

He cleared his throat and scanned their faces to make sure they had all noticed him.

“Look,everyone...I need to say something and it's not going to be nearly enough but...thanks for putting up with me during all of this. I know I was a pain in the ass but you all did your jobs anyway and I appreciate that.”

AC was the first to speak. “Don't sweat it, we did our jobs because Chloe and Clark are team members and you were focused on getting them back. We know you would have done the same for us.”

Bart interjected. “And if you were a jackass, - which you sorta were a few times there - we understand. You and Tower are married now. We know what that means.”

Oliver frowned briefly at Bart but his face relaxed when the entire sentiment sunk in. “Thanks.”

“And...” Carter added, “Now we all know what we're capable of in a crisis. Especially you.”

Oliver couldn't argue the point. Lex had tested them and this time, this time they had passed.

 **End Chapter Five.**


	7. Chapter Six

_Metropolis...QI Labs...later that morning...  
_  
“Maybe we should just go home and let you get some rest. Emil can call us if he finds anything.” Oliver suggested. He was standing while she sat on Dr. Hamilton's examination table, his hand around hers.

“No, I'm OK. If he has an explanation for this, I'd like to hear it now.”

“It was probably just the fatigue or the stress of the situation.”

“Ollie, we both know it's more than that. I've been tired and stressed before but I've been able...to heal. Something's wrong. We need Dr. Hamilton to figure it out so we can fix it.”

He nodded. “I tried to send everyone else home but they insisted on staying. They're in the waiting room.”

“Even Clark?” she asked, surprised.

“And Martha. He's up and around. Almost as good as new.”

Chloe nodded. Though Clark had said they were OK, the nagging guilt of her inability to heal him when he needed her remained.

Like always, Oliver read her easily. “He's not upset, you know. You need to believe that. And he's going to be fine. Now we all just want you to be OK. Don't beat yourself up about this.” He squeezed her hand. “Please.”

“I'll try,” she finally agreed.

The door opened and Dr. Hamilton entered, clipboard in hand, and closed the door behind him.

“Chloe, Oliver.” he nodded at them. “I have to say, you do keep things interesting around here.”

“Wouldn't want you to get bored,” Oliver replied dryly. “So, do you have a theory about what's happened to Chloe's power?”

“Oh, yes, I do have a theory but first I have few more questions.” He smiled faintly at Chloe. “Feel up to answering them?”

She shrugged. “Sure, go ahead.”

“You keep track of the team's medical appointments, right.”

“Of course, it's not like they can do it themselves.” She grinned when Oliver looked a bit offended. 

Dr. Hamilton nodded. “That's what I thought. So...Victor's last check-up was when?”

“March 13th.” Chloe replied automatically.

“Right, and Bart's?”

“April 5th.”

“AC?”

“February 18th.” Chloe wrinkled her brow. What did this have to do with her powers?

“Right, and Oliver's?”

“January 7th but he's due again for a stress test on April 30th.”

“Correct. And your last period was due when?”

“Uh....” 

“That's what I thought.”

Chloe blinked, and felt her checks begin to burn. 

Oliver looked at her in confusion. “What's going on?”

“It appears that you've been so focused on everyone else, you've missed some rather pertinent details about your own health. So, Chloe, any ideas?” Dr. Hamilton pressed, smiling.

Chloe nibbled her lower lip, rolling through a calendar in her head. It wasn't possible, was it? How had she been this distracted? “Two weeks ago, maybe three...?” 

“What does this have to do with her not being able to heal Clark?” Oliver asked impatiently.

“Well, I don't pretend to have all the answers where your wife's unique biochemistry is concerned, Oliver, but my best theory is that her power isn't working because her body is diverting all of that energy to protecting her and the baby.”

“Baby?” Oliver repeated.

“Yes, baby. Chloe is almost six weeks pregnant.”

“Are you sure?” Chloe whispered, her eyes closed because the room had started to spin around her.

“Unique biochemistry or not, there are still only two possible outcomes to this kind of blood test. I checked. A lot. This was not something I wanted to be wrong about, believe me.”

Chloe opened her eyes. “Dr. Hamilton, can you---?”

He cut her off with a raised hand. “I know, I'll be back in a few minutes.” And he was gone before either of them could say a word.

Slowly, tentatively, Chloe turned to look at Oliver. He looked – for lack of a better word – stunned. Worse than when he'd accidentally dropped one of his tazer-tipped arrows on his foot. Way worse.

“You had no idea?” he whispered.

She shook her head. “I think I lost track of the dates. I've been distracted...”

“At some point, I'm going to be upset with you for working too hard and not taking as good care of yourself as you take of us...but we're having a baby!” He took her face in his hands and kissed her. Hard. Until they were both breathless. When he pulled back, the grin on his face was enormous. “We're having a baby!”

She laughed, then reality set in. “Oh my God, is this really it? If this is it, we're not just having a baby, Ollie, we're having the babies.”

If it was possible, he grinned wider. “Do you think this is it?”

Chloe thought back to their time in the future, to Connor and Moira. “I guess...They looked about twenty or twenty-one so this would make the timing about right. It's hard not knowing for sure how old they were.”

“Which is why they didn't tell us.”

“But if this is it, we can't say anything yet...I think it's too early for Dr. Hamilton to be able to tell so if we go around babbling about twins, we're going to have to explain how we know...and the fact is, we really don't know, not for sure, that is.”

“We know this: we made a baby!” He exclaimed and kissed her again. Then he wrapped his arms around her body and hugged her so tightly that he lifted her off the examination table. “We made a baby!” he said, almost shouting this time.

“At least one!” she exclaimed in response, laughing as he swung her around the too-small-for this kind-of-thing-examination room. When her swinging feet knocked a stack of papers and books off the a nearby table, he didn't stop. 

The door opened and Dr. Hamilton appeared in the doorway, “I see this is finally sinking in. Congratulations. I'm glad this is good news for you two.”

Oliver set Chloe back on her feet in front of him, but kept his arms wrapped around her from behind. “This is beyond good news. This is the best news in the history of news.”

Chloe snorted, swaying on her feet a little. “Well said, honey.”

Dr. Hamilton stepped closer, still smiling. “Before we go any further, I wanted to let you know that since I'm not an obstetrician, I'm going to call in someone that I trust to work with me through Chloe's pregnancy. She's going to need an expert, but I'm sure you'll both want me to stay informed of any...unique challenges that might arise. Are you comfortable with that? I can have a list of names for you by tomorrow.”

“Hire every baby doctor you can find. I'll pay for it.” Oliver replied, and Chloe could feel him bouncing on the balls of his feet behind her.

She shook her head. “One obstetrician with be fine,” she assured Dr. Hamilton.

“It's a little too early to determine the exact due date but I will try, given what Chloe said about her last cycle. And as soon as we have someone on board as her obstetrician, we'll decide when to do the first ultrasound. We're going to need to talk about vitamins, nutrition, and rest. It's also still too early to ...and you're not getting any of this at all, are you, Oliver?”

Chloe craned her neck to look up at Oliver. Sure enough, he was still grinning, but his eyes were blank.

“Nope,” he said, shaking his head. “Not a word. I'm sure what you're saying is really important and I'm going to want to know it so I suggest you write it down but right now, I just want to tell people. Can I tell people?”

“Don't ask me that.” Dr. Hamilton laughed, nodding towards Chloe. “Ask her.”

Oliver turned to her expectantly. “Can we tell people?”

“Who?”

“Right now, I'm thinking everyone I've ever met but we can start with the people in the waiting room.”

Chloe smiled and nodded. “Of course.” 

He kissed her again and said “Be right back,” before speeding out of the room in a freakishly good, if unintentional impersonation of Bart.

“He's excited,” she told Dr. Hamilton needlessly.

“I can see that. I just emailed you a list of foods to avoid – including coffee and alcohol – as well as a prescription for prenatal vitamins. You are going to have to commit to taking care of yourself, for the sake of the baby. That means at least eight hours of sleep a night,” he said firmly, then added, “In a row. And no skipping meals, no working yourself too hard. And no unnecessary risks. Although I think I would be better off giving that last warning to your friends so they can enforce it. I'll give you a call tomorrow with the obstetricians' names. Do you have a preference for a male or female doctor?”

“Not really. Just make sure it's someone we can trust and who's not easily rattled.”

The door to the room burst open again and the entire League appeared in the doorway. All fifteen hundred pounds of superbly trained, largely undisciplined, mostly super-powered muscle, looking at her expectantly.

“An excellent point,” replied Dr. Hamilton. “I'll make a note of it.”

“Hi, guys. Can you come in here? We need to tell you something,” she said nervously and they all filed in, including Martha, who Oliver pulled to the front of the group, closest to Chloe. 

“We gathered that something was up given the gibberish that's coming out of Oliver's mouth.” Victor replied. “I thought this was because your powers were shorting out. How'd we manage to break Ollie, too?”

“I'm pregnant,” she blurted out without thinking and everybody froze.

“That would do it,” replied Victor, eyes wide.

“Yup,” AC agreed. 

“Oh no!” Chloe said, covering her face with her hands. “I didn't mean to just blurt it out like that that. I was going to explain it a little more...”

Carter shook his head. “Trust us, we know how it works, you don't need to explain.”

Dinah snickered. “And we've met you two.”

Chloe lowered her hands and Oliver wrapped his arms around her, the smile he wore still threatening to split his face in two. 

Martha was in tears as she stepped closer and threw her arms around Chloe. “Congratulations you two, this is terrific. This is just the news we needed after all this. A baby!” 

The hugs and congratulations kept coming after that, and Chloe began to feel dizzy as she was passed around from one set of arms to another.

Clark turned to Dr. Hamilton, who had been pushed to the far side of the room by the sea of people. “This is why her powers didn't work?” he asked.

“That's my theory and it makes sense. Her body is protecting the baby. It's reserving every bit of her energy for that, as it should.”

“A League baby...wow.” Bart said. “That's just wild.”

Chloe didn't even realize that she had been crying until J'onn wiped the tears from her face and said. “You're going to be a wonderful mother.” He turned to Oliver and shook his free hand. “And you're going to be very entertaining.” From the look on Oliver's face, Chloe could tell that he didn't seem to know how to take J'onn's comment but he kept smiling. Apparently nothing could dampen his mood. 

There was a beeping sound and Dinah and the guys moved to check their pockets but didn't find the offending device. It was only when Chloe checked her purse that she realized it was her. She hadn't used her phone in two days, so it hadn't occurred to her to check her it.

She frowned at the display. Thirteen missed calls. All from Lois. “Crap.”

Chloe flicked the phone onto speaker. “Hey....Lois.” she said brightly.

“Don't 'Hey Lois' me. I've been trying to reach you and your band of leather lunatics for hours. Don't you guys ever answer your phones? What's going on?”

“It's a really long story, Lois, but everything's fine now. Where are you?”

“Still stuck in Gotham because of this damn fog. There's something seriously wrong with this city. Now what happened there?!! Is everyone OK?”

Chloe grinned at the others. “Everyone's fine now. Just calm down. We'll explain it to you when you get home.”

Clark suddenly looked panicked. “Oh no, she's the last to know the news. She hates that!”

Nearly everyone in the room shot Clark a glare and Chloe scrambled to cover the phone's mic but it was too late.

“I'm the last to know what news?” Lois all but yelled through the phone.

Chloe looked around the room at her friends. Now what? She hadn't wanted to do this over the phone but it was looking like she didn't have a choice...

“Chloe!!! What is going on? Just tell me!”

Oliver smiled at her, took the phone from her hand, and held it up. “Alright everybody, you heard the lady...” The others nodded in understanding.

In unison, they all shouted “WE'RE HAVING A BABY!!!”

*****  
 _Metropolis...Clocktower...Later that evening...  
_  
Oliver pushed Chloe's nightgown up further around her waist and rested his hand on her flat stomach, tracing shapes around her belly button. Then across her hipbones and back again. 

“You plan on being down there long?” Chloe asked, her head propped against the pile of pillows. “Because I'm trying to read here.” 

Oliver raised his eyes to meet hers and she laid the pregnancy book face down across her chest. It was one of two dozen books on pregnancy, childbirth, and parenting that he'd had his assistant purchase and send to the Clocktower even before they got home from the lab.

“Does it say how big the baby is now?” Baby or babies, he thought to himself. While they had agreed to refer to the baby as one for now, he couldn't shake the feeling that this really was it. This was their twins.

“Small, grains of rice small.”

“Wow,” he replied, rubbing her stomach again.”That's amazing.”

“We should be able to detect the heartbeat on a sonogram in a few weeks.”

“Heartbeat or heartbeats,” he corrected and she smiled.

“Right. We'll just have to wait and see.”

He kissed her stomach, then frowned. “You're really small.”

“Excuse me?”

“You're small, tiny even.”

“If you're trying to give me a complex about my height...” she started.

“Not just your height...all of you. How are you going to carry one baby, let alone two? There's no room on you,” he said, looking her up and down. 

Normally, Chloe's petite frame was no problem for him. She fit in his arms rather well and everything – absolutely everything - on her was just the right size. But now, he really had no idea how this was going to work.

Chloe giggled at him. “You're just thinking of this now? Maybe you should have thought of that before all six feet of you knocked me up.”

“Oh God, what if they're are tall like me?” Oliver whispered. Crap, he really should have thought of this sooner. His mind flashed back to Moira and Connor. They were on the tall side. Dammit.

Chloe was laughing out loud at him now. “Chloe, will you please be serious! This is important. What if this isn't safe for you?”

Chloe reached up and ran her fingers though his hair. “Oliver, relax. It will be fine. Women my size have babies all the time. Even twins. Dr. Hamilton and the baby doctor are going to monitor my weight to make sure everything's OK. And, for better and for worse, my body is going to stretch to make room. I admit it's not something I'm looking forward to but it's going to happen and it will be fine. Trust me.”

“Aren't you scared?”

“Terrified,” she replied.

“You're not showing it. You're so calm.”

She tapped the book still resting against her chest. “This is the third one of these I've read since we got home. This is how I'm dealing.”

“Research,” he replied knowingly. Of course. “So what's scaring you the most?”

“Right now? Labor and delivery don't sound very pleasant.”

“I'll be right there with you. I might be wearing that new kevlar vest you had made for me, but I'll be right there.” 

She smacked him with the book and let it fall to the floor.

“Anything else?” he asked, his fingers still making circles on the silky soft skin of her stomach.

“Well...” she hesitated.

“What?” he pressed.

“Well, like I said, twins or not, my body is going to change...a lot. I'm kind of worried that you're not going to like it.”

“Why would you think that?”

“Ollie, you're used to see me like this. In a few months, I'm going to look like I swallowed a watermelon, maybe two. You can't tell me that you're going to find that sexy.”

He immediately pictured Chloe pregnant, heavily pregnant, with their babies in his mind. In the same nightgown she wore now, but with a large rounded belly, her hand caressing the weight of it. His whole body hardened. He felt warmer and his chest tightened. He had to shake his head to bring himself to the present. 

“That's not going to be a problem.”

“How can you be sure?”

“Trust me on this, it's not going to be a problem.”

“What do you mean?” she asked, apparently still doubtful.

In one swift movement, Oliver stretched his larger body over hers, settling himself between her knees, the results of his mental picture pressing hard against her. “It's not going to be a problem because I just pictured you that way in my head and this is what happened.”

Chloe grinned sheepishly and pressed her hips back against him. “Oh...but that's a mental picture. What if reality doesn't live up to that?”

Oliver kissed her, a deep, long kiss that had her moaning and panting for air when he drew back, hands running from her hips down her thighs. “Reality is going to be so much better because it will be you...pregnant...with our babies. What could be possibly more beautiful and sexy than that? I'm think going to have trouble keeping my hands off of you.” He pulled back for a moment. “These books you read, they said sex is OK, right?”

She smiled against his mouth, “It's just fine, although as I get bigger, we're going to need to get creative with positions.”

“That shouldn't be a problem. We've always been pretty creative... For example...”

Later, when his pajama pants and her nightgown had joined the baby book on the floor near their bed, and the both lay in each other's arms, sated and drowsy, Oliver could not calm his mind fully. He began to think of how close Lex had come to destroying what he lived for, his present and his future. Things would need to change. He'd need to find a way to keep Lex far from Chloe, especially now. 

And he'd need to get Chloe and the rest of the team to agree to it.

That wouldn't be easy.

Thinking she was asleep, he adjusted his body downward on the bed so that his head was resting on her bare stomach. He pressed a kiss to the skin just below her belly button, and then a second, just in case. 

He felt her fingers moving in his hair again. Apparently she wasn't asleep after all.

“Ollie?”

“Yeah?”

“I'm glad this is finally happening. I want to do this for you. I want to give you the family you deserve.”

“Sidekick, we already have a family. Now just we're adding to it.”

Her fingers stilled in his hair. “You're right.”

“And here you thought you wouldn't be saying that to me very often.”

End.

Thanks for reading.


End file.
